Most everybody has wishes, but few people have goals. Unfortunately, a lot of people are in survival mode. However, if you are watching this video, you have goals, and I want to tell you that’s really awesome. But even if you have goals, that doesn’t mean you will achieve them.

There are so many factors that can stop you from achieving your goals: not enough time, insecurities, lack of support, too many challenges, fear of failure, and, as weird as it seems, even the fear of success. The list can be endless. There have been long periods in my life when I thought my disability was too much to deal with. Frankly, my disability makes everything more challenging. But for me, that was never an excuse to give up. Instead, it was a reason to work harder.

Everything I do requires me to be more creative, more resourceful, and to rely on other people in new ways. For example, I type really slowly, so I dictate my words to an assistant. This has allowed me to write books and hundreds of articles. Even doing this video requires help—I need people to assist me with producing subtitles. In fact, I need two other people to help me. So, what’s your excuse? Why are you not achieving your goals?

Now, I’m not claiming this is easy. No, no, no. It’s challenging. And I’m going to tell you a secret—I’m really insecure on camera. But that hasn’t stopped me, and it shouldn’t stop you. So, what is stopping you? What does it take to achieve your goals?

You have to truly want to achieve them. However, desire is not binary. On one end of the spectrum, there are people who only achieve their goals if they are handed to them on a silver platter. On the other end, there are people who do everything they can to achieve their goals. They learn, they ask for advice and feedback, they focus on their process, they stay hyper-focused, and they find ways to overcome obstacles. They learn from their mistakes. The bottom line is, they do everything necessary to succeed.

Success is a mindset. It’s about having the right narrative and story. It takes dialing in the right process and habits, dealing with challenges in smart and creative ways, and surrounding yourself with the right people for feedback and collaboration. Most importantly, success requires clarity—knowing exactly what you want and how to get there.

So, I’ll ask you again. Do you have wishes? Or do you have goals?